Book IV : Kishkindha Kanda - The Empire of Holy
Monkeys

Chapter [Sarga] 22
Verses converted to UTF-8, Nov 09

Introduction

Vali recovers from his swoon and gives his parting messages to Sugreeva and Angada. He also gives his miraculous pendant, given by his
father Indra, to Sugreeva and asks him to assume authority of Kishkindha kingdom, for he won it in this fight. Angada is advised to conduct
appropriately for he is becoming a father-less son now. Then Vali breathes his last to pave the way for Seetha's search.

"You realize that I am going to the abode of Time-god now itself, and hence propose yourself as king of this forest-dweller's kingdom,
now itself. [4-22-5]

Vali's supremacy does not die with him. Here also he is taking a high profile and he himself is proposing the kingship to
Sugreeva, without any grudge or grouse, on two counts. One, Sugreeva is the triumphant one and thus he shall get the kingdom forthwith, not Angada,
as proposed by Hanuma. Next, Sugreeva is the next best choice for the kingship, rather than Angada, and a younger brother and also as a one-time
prince regent. In either way the dying Vali is keeping his nobility high up, as an unrivalled champion and even as an elderly brother.

"In deciding meanings in all their subtleties and also in presages of diverse nature this daughter of Sushena, Tara, is an insightful
one in every way. [4-22-13]

A parable is said about SusheNa, who is now being called as Tara's father. Tara is said to be the outcome from the churning of
Milky Ocean by gods and demons, and she emerged as one among many items that emerged from that Milky Ocean. Seeing her and knowing her as the
descendent of Brihaspati, the Jupiter, Vali and Sushena have held her by her hand. Vali held her by her right hand and Sushena held her by her left
hand and started to quarrel for her wifedom. Then the elderly sages and gods intervened and decided that one who held her by her right hand is her
husband and the other who held her by her left hand is her father. Thus Sushena is said to have become the father of Tara.

"You have to accomplish Raghava's mission undoubtedly, and if it is unaccomplished there will be infraction on your part because you
befriended him before an altar of fire, and you may even be punished for dishonouring him and your given word to him. [4-22-15]

"The bounteous goddess of triumph ensconced in this golden pendant will completely leave it off on my death, avoiding the flaw of
touching a corpse, isn't it... hence oh, Sugreeva, you wear it." Thus Vali spoke to Sugreeva. [4-22-16]

Sugreeva may not inherit any fortune of invincibility from this invincible pendant, but Vali has to safeguard it without getting
into an insulting touch of his dead body
shava sparsha doSa As such, he is giving it Sugreeva, in preference to Angada.

Thus, that way when Vali spoke to Sugreeva with brotherly kind-heartedness, Sugreeva again waned away forgoing his spiritedness, like
the lord of stars, namely the Moon, when eaten away by the planet, namely Rahu, during lunar eclipse. [4-22-17]

Mythologically there are two planets called Raahu and Ketu in Indian astrology. These two have no counterparts in western
astrology. These two are neither gods, nor demons, not planets. At the time of churning Milky Ocean one demon had a share of amR^ita, the Divine
nectar. But on noticing it the Sun and Moon report that episode to Vishnu. Vishnu slits that demon's throat with his disc. Then that Rahu became a
two-piece entity, one with head, named as Raahu and the other with trunk - tail, named as Ketu. Because Sun and Moon reported the wrongdoing of this
two-piece entity, that entity prays to subsist on eating away Sun and Moon. That prayer is granted subject to condition, that this eating will be
done only occasionally. Those are the occasions of eclipses of either Sun or Moon. Recent astrology gave names to these two entities as 'Dragon with
Head' is Raahu and the 'Dragon with Tail' is Ketu.

"From now on, observing time and place you have to tolerate pain or pleasure, endure mirth or misery on your going under the control
of Sugreeva. [4-22-20]

The vividness of the above parting message is: "On your going under the control of Sugreeva, whether his orders are pleasant or
unpleasant to you, you have to execute them enduringly, for you have to conduct yourself according to time and place of your locus standi, and also
you have to endure the mirth or misery caused at his behest... for you are no more independent from now on..."

"Do not conduct yourself with excessive friendliness or unfriendliness, as this pair of opposites itself has a flaw, therefore you
cultivate an intermediary outlook." Vali thus spoke to Angada. [4-22-23]

He who is highly tortured by the arrow of Rama spoke to Angada in that way, and afterwards his eyeballs rolled-up, mouth hung open
baring his horrid teeth, and his life too took to flight from his body. [4-22-24]

"When the lord of monkeys departed to heaven Kishkindha is indeed rendered derelict, dreary are the gardens, deserted are the
mountains and forests as well, and when the tiger among fly-jumpers is dead all the vanara-s are rendered up into a lacklustre life. [4-22-26,
27a]

"And by the impetus of whose great rapidity flowers available in forests and woodlands used to shower on him in torrents and enwreathe
him from behind, that Vali is no more, and now who has got such an impetus? [4-22-27b, 28a]

This verse also means: "He who has perfected the gardens and forests with full of flowers and thereby with fruits on which the
monkeys subsist, and now who can make these areas so fructified to let all the monkeys thrive?"

This flowers following Vali - is the same situation with Hanuma when he jumps from Mt. Mahendra to Lanka. A volley of flowers
shower on him owing to kick-start and follow him up to some distance into ocean, as though to worship him.

"By which great-souled Vali a ferocious duel was given to the celestial, namely the great armed Golabha, which did not cease either in
the daytime or night till Vali felled Golabha, that Vali is no more. [4-22-28b, 29]

This Sanskrit expression 'giving a duel' is the same that is available in English like - 'give me a duel.' etc.

"Thereafter, in the sixteenth year Vali unquestionably felled Golabha, and on killing that evil-minded Golabha with his zigzag teeth
Vali accorded fearlessness to all of us, how such a Vali is felled now?" Thus the monkeys raised hue and cry. [4-22-30]

But when that fly-jumper's brave lord Vali is killed, those fly-jumpers have gone into a freneticness in that matter of Vali's
killing, as with the cows becoming frenetic when their husbanding bull is killed while moving in a great forest that is riddled with a lion.
[4-22-31]

But then Tara, whelmed under a ocean called affliction closely observed her dead husband's face, embraced him and collapsed onto
ground as with any creeper plant when the giant tree on which it is hinging is hacked down. [4-22-32]

- - - .

endnote

Thus Vali the bad monkey is dead. Even today we have the monkey
menace, that too from bad monkeys. In Patiala's Motibagh Bir Zoo there is penitentiary for primates where all bad monkeys are jailed without parole,
and there will be a signboard, asking visitor to not to go nearby the enclosure, because it will be dangerous. Each of its inmates is caught, even
across Punjab and other places, when that monkey is destroying property, thieving and attacking people and creating havoc. Hence monkey menace is
something different from monkey havoc. Throughout India we have monkey menace, which is very frequently beamed by Discovery and National Geography
channels, but it is rarely said about bad monkeys. Killing a monkey, however bad it is, is a taboo and sustaining its havoc is an altogether
unbearable affair. Now that the bad monkey of Ramayana is eliminated, search for Seetha is possible.

- - -

iti vālmīki rāmāyaṇe ādi kāvye kiṣkindha kāṇḍe dvā viṃśaḥ sargaḥ

Thus, this is the 22nd chapter in Kishkindha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.